Yesterday morning we had such an unusual sight as we left the motel we didn't know what to make of it : the sun was actually out of the clouds and shining on us, a first for this trip. Not to worry though. It soon disappeared and was replaced by the heavy gray and black clouds we have become accustomed to. There is a current best-seller titled "The Art of Racing in the Rain" and I was thinking yesterday that after this ride perhaps I would write my own "The Art of Riding in the Rain". We had maybe a half hour in the morning yesterday of wearing our rain jackets, watched it clear up at the SAG (rest stop) , only to get pelted again and actually pulled off the road to wait it out. It finally cleared up once we got close to the shore heading for Cape May only to start up again on our short (10 miles) ride through Delaware to the hotel. There truly is an art to riding in the rain and we have become pretty good at it. Watch the puddles, they probably disguise potholes. Stay off the white lines, very slippery when wet; likewise railroad tracks become like ice rinks when crossing. Get a rain jacket that breathes a little - the good ones are so water proof that without a little air you start sweating so much it is like a sauna. And finally keep your eyes on the road as much as possible - all that rain disguises the debris on the shoulders where we ride and the little pieces of glass and wire create probably twice the number of flats. And then there is a whole 'nother chapter on what to do with the soggy socks, shorts and shoes when the riding is over - that's a fun exercise too. So we left the blueberry capitol and headed for the Jersey shore on our way to Cape May. For the most part we have probably left the climbing of hills behind us. Yesterday we did only 1500 feet of climbing and I think 3/4s of that were the bridges we had to cross coming in and out of some of the shore areas. We went in the general direction of Atlantic City, took a right at Egg Harbor City and finally got our first views of the ocean since Maine in Sea Isle City. From there we skirted Avon and went through Wildwood on our way to Cape May. The couple of scenic photos are of the bay side on the way out of Sea Isle City. The Cape May/Lewes ferry takes us across the Delaware Bay, a 17 mile/90 minute trip. The good news was that the sun came out just as we pulled out of the docks (you can see those dark rain clouds in the last photo above) so we sat on the deck, ate lunch and relaxed. They have little stands for the bikes down among the cars on the first deck. I was not at comfortable that my bike would stay stable if we got heavy seas but it was a pretty uneventful trip. The photo, by the way, is my bike with Mike standing guard - he is from Matthews NC, home also to my niece Sandy and her family. Also pictured is me and Doug on the aft deck enjoying both lunch and the sun. Doug is from Great Britain and is a classic example of the old joke of a people separated by a common language. He and I are riding in the same group and I think I understand maybe 50% of what he says the first time around. Funny thing is that the Brits don't seem to have any problem with the American accents. So we did the compulsory photo shoot at the Delaware welcome sign - we have now covered 7 states in just about as many days. I'm going down to view the beach in just a little while - the inspection on our (old) house came in so I've spent a good part of the off day dealing with our attorney and writing up a bit of a response and action plan. A few items need attending to but certainly no deal breakers that I can see. Will also try to get some laundry done and then a bit of dinner - tomorrow we are off to Pocomoke Maryland - another state line crossing. For the stats yesterday - 81 miles, about 15 mph average and, oops, three flats from that disguised road debris I mentioned earlier. And tomorrow is only51 miles - we get to sleep in an extra hour and it is almost like a rest day after some of our earlier long rides.

Home sweet New Jersey

Today was another ride through very familiar territory. We left Somerset which is about thirty miles north of Lawrenceville , where I live of course, and headed South. We had wet streets but no rain when we started but we did have the morning rush hour to contend with. Normally at 7:30 in the morning, assuming that I am up and about, I'm thinking only of making the coffee and toasting the English muffin. I've lost my sense of how many people are in cars rushing off to work and it is surprising to be out among them - especially on a bike. It did not take long for the threat of rain to turn into the reality of rain and we found ourselves pulling over to get into the rain gear. For me this is a bright yellow rain jacket and a great Wegman's hat under the helmet to keep the rain off my face (more or less). And so we headed off into the part of New Jersey I call home. We went through the roads around Hillsborough, crossed the infamous Rt. 1 in Monmouth Jct and then headed to Plainsboro passing directly behind the Munich Re location where Tom (my roomie) and I both worked...of course we both waved and wished everyone well. On our way to West Windsor we passed Grover's Mill, the site of the famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast that scared half the American population years ago. Of course we had to stop and Tom and I became instant experts telling everyone in our group all that we knew of the fictional invasion of the aliens. From there we made our way through West Windsor, which of course will be home to Susan and I come November and actually passed within half a mile of our new house. From there we headed down a lot of roads that I have ridden for years and most recently Tom and rode in August on our training century. Although the initial rain let up after a short time we saw the dark clouds again and in Mt Holly the rain started coming on again. Our entire group pulled into the parking lot of the first place that looked like it could provide shelter for eight bikes and might have a real rest room. It turned out to be a kind of old-fashioned restaurant with sandwich and soup specials, great hard-working waitresses and some local customers who were just dumbfounded when we all walked in in our biking outfits. We got into great conversations with both the owner (Cosmo's was the name of the place) who was very obviously of Greek origin and the other customers...you are going to Florida? on a bike? no way! etc....lot's of fun. More to the point, we had lunch and waited out the downpour and so when we left it was clear sailing and the sun even came out for the last 15 miles or so. We saw a little bit of everything today: horse farms where they train thoroughbreds for the track, lots of corn and soybean farming, and, as we neared Hammonton fields of blueberry bushes for almost as far as you could see - Hammonton does claim to be the worlds capitol of blueberry farming. So for the day 84 miles but only about 2400 feet of climbing - the terrain is getting flatter but I have not noticed any complaints. If we could just get a little more sun we could really be flying. And, oh, I do have a couple of photos...including the restaurant scene. The cemetery was taken yesterday actually - an attempt to get the hill in the background in a photo - we had just climbed up that road with a 10-11 % grade but I'm not sure it really shows in the photo...In any case tomorrow is another day and another state...and I need to get the lights out and to sleep.

Down memory lane...

Although I could not get an photos yesterday I did manage to "steal" a couple from a couple from a couple of colleagues on the ride. The first is a great shot of one of the several lakes along the roads through Harriman park - I would love to come back when the colors change. The second is where we crossed the Hudson River, Bear Mountain bridge - a very impressive body of water. And finally at a commemorative plaque for the Battle of Saratoga, one of the critical points for the Revolution, one of our yankee riders poses with the lone Brit under his conquering heel - cute shot..... Today we left Suffern and were across the border into New Jersey within a few minutes. We leave the hotel about 7:30 so we were jumping into the rush hour in one of the most populous areas of the state. And to complicate matters we left with a heavy cover of fog - of course this means that the glasses are covered with moisture within minutes (I just slide them down my nose and keep going). Once into NJ we passed first through Mahwah where I lived for a few years before American Re moved us down to Princeton. It really was a trip down memory lane. Our route did not take us right by the old house but we did go through Ramsey, Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, all little towns where we knew a lot of people and spent a lot of time. Amazingly enough I even saw an old friend in his car as we were turning a corner - kind of an amazing experience even if I couldn't stop him to chat for awhile. From then on it was a trip through the really heavily populated parts of New Jersey. We went through a ton of residential areas, made what seemed like 198 turns (probably less but seemed like a huge number), and had a bit of climbing as well but not as bad as the previous couple of days. We went through East Hanover, Chatham Twp and finally into the Bound Brook/Somerset area. One of the obvious things we saw along the way were the many signs of the flooding from Irene. Especially in Bound Brook there are still sandbags in some of the streets and the piles of trash are everywhere. For the day we did 66 miles which was pretty comfortable - preparation for our 79 miles to Hammonton tomorrow. We will be passing right through West Windsor which will be our new hometown after November. And I'm hoping Susan might be able to find her way down to catch dinner with me tomorrow night - the luxury of biking through the home state. And the final bit for the day....the parts for the bike showed up as hoped for and our mechanic had it all put together and ready for testing when we arrived at the hotel this afternoon. Much as I enjoyed the borrowed bikes I'm more than ready to have my own back for the duration.

Continuing saga of the bike....

First a brief update on the bike...We do have serious problems. Not only is the derailleur shot but also the hanger that is critical to attaching the derailleur to the bike. And while the derailleur is available in almost any good bike store the hanger is part of the Cannondale (my bike) manufacturing process and so is available only in a Cannondale dealership. And given the route we have been taking there were no Cannondale dealers within a reasonable distance. And so as we approached New Jersey I called my own dealer near Princeton. Fortunately he did have the part and by a remarkably lucky coincidence he is coming to his aunt's house in Somerset (tomorrow's destination and will deliver the parts to the hotel tonight. With just a little bit of luck I may get my bike back tomorrow night. In the meantime the news was not all bad. I missed most of one day of riding but did acquire loaner bikes yesterday and today. The ride mechanic offered me his bike yesterday and today one of the support folks gave me his. This may seem like kind of a nice gesture but actually in both cases it was extremely generous. For most serious cyclists a bike is not only a major expenditure but is a very personal kind of possession. These two guys, who both had duties that kept them from riding, really went above and beyond in trusting me with their bikes. And both days were rides that I would have been most disappointed to miss - no, "disappointed" is too weak a word - more like extremely depressed and angry. Yesterday was another near century, 97 miles from Windsor Locks Connecticut to Fishkill New York. Included in the fun was something like 6300 feet of climbing - lots of rolling up-and-down but also 3 or 4 serious climbs ranging from a mile and a half to one four miler. And along the way we went in and out any number of pretty little New England towns and villages. Some of these are straight out of Currier and Ives - you can just picture the beautiful old tall-spired white churches with candles lit and the snow covering the evergreen trees on the front lawn. Virtually every town has its town square with the memorials to the war heroes of the past and the cannon that may date to the civil war or perhaps a tank from one of the more recent times. And for the most part we were on nice country roads with decent shoulders and passed through some lovely country - not a lot of fall color yet but occasionally we get a little cluster of sumac and would see this brilliant red patch shining through the green forest. And, of course, the really good news was that we finally saw the sun again - the day started overcast but about 11 AM or thereabouts the sun actually came out and we had light and blue skies for the rest of the day. For the day we did 97 miles (another "almost" century) with over 6000 feet of climbing and a 14.4 mph average. And maybe because I had the enforced day off I felt good and had a great day. Today was a sleep-in morning. We started out at 8:30 instead of our usual 7:3o because we had only a 52 mile day, albeit one that again promised lots of climbing. We left Fishkill and headed in the general direction of the Hudson River and the first view was beautiful. We were on a bridge high over a little stream feeding the river and the Hudson appeared in the distance just over the tops of the trees on each side of the stream. The sun was out again and it was a true photo opportunity moment. Shortly thereafter we came to the Bear Mountain bridge and crossed over the Hudson and into Harriman state park, one of the true jewels of the state of New York. It is in the northern area of the Ramapao mountains and we started at the top and made our way south through forests, an occasional campground, and maybe 8 or 10 beautiful lakes. All of these lakes were the true mountain lakes - still and calm and perfect mirrors of the surrounding tall trees. And as spectacular as our view was today you know that within a couple weeks when the leaves turn it will be even better. The roads at this time of year were pretty much devoid of automobiles and they twist and turn and rise and fall with the mountain contours. This means a lot of climbing but for every uphill there is a following downhill and so with all the S-curves and descents of up to a couple of miles we had some pretty exciting riding for a good part of the day. We finally left the park and traveled briefly through an area called Sterling Forest - it is mostly private land but still very park-like and so was like and extension of Harriman park. We finally started coming into the area around Suffern and the scenery changed radically. Suddenly we were ugly roads with lots of heavy traffic - the adrenalin level goes up immediately and every rider is focused on getting everybody safely through the traffic and into town. Suffern is a gritty little town with huge railroad yards which are the only legacy of the iron mining that went on here a hundred or so years ago. The town brings make lots of memories since Mahwah, where we lived several years ago is just over the border in New Jersey - which is the perfect segue to tomorrow since we will be heading through Mahwah on our way the Somerset tomorrow night. Today's effort - 53 miles with about 34oo feet of climbing. Again, a great day. And by the way...sorry about the lack of photos. I have been more than a little distracted by the lack of my own bike and the need to pack stuff onto the borrowed bike every morning. And the result was that I discovered today that I had left my memory card in the computer which was of course packed away in my luggage on the way to the hotel...will try not let that happen again.

It will get better....please.

So who says that cyclists are maniacs obsessed with their bikes and the road? The first photo is proof that we have a sensitive, contemplative side as well. Gotta stop and smell the roses occasionally. And by the same token stuff happens, tires go flat, and we stop for those too. More on yesterday....When I got in last night the first order of business was to clean the bike. The hotel provides rags and a hose and we try to flush out the road sand and grit. I was having a bit of an issue with shifting and so I turned it over to our mechanic. In the process of fixing he broke a key bolt on the derailleur. Fortunately there was an open bike shop within a mile of the hotel and the mechanic hopped in his car and brought it over to the hotel....I was not happy with the repair but at least I'd be ready for today's ride. So today the forecast was for more rain and possible flooding and, oh yeah, heavy fog too. But to the delight of all we woke up to wet roads but no rain and gray rather than black clouds. With about 68 miles to Windsor Locks we headed out from the hotel with the very light Saturday morning traffic hoping that maybe before the day ended we might even see some sun. The streets were still a bit damp but even after 95 miles yesterday I felt good and was about halfway up our first climb of the day when I heard the clatter of chain and metal hitting the spokes of the rear wheel and came to such an abrupt stop that I almost fell off the bike. Bottom line: the derailleur metal housing had literally sheared in half, something I would have never even thought possible. All of this at the 4.3 mile mark meaning that my day was over before I had even raised a sweat. So as I write the bike is with the mechanic, he is awaiting the delivery of the new parts and they assure me I will ride tomorrow - another 95 miler ("near-century") to Fishkill New York. Between the weather and the weird bike problems I'm really starting to feel a little like the biblical Job..."how long Lord, how long?" I'm going down now to check on the bike and here's hoping tomorrow is another day and we can simply ride without all the drama.

Day two to Worcester Mass

This has been a long day and it will be a short blog tonight. The rain gods were smiling this morning, well maybe not smiling but at least not making life miserable for the 27 cyclists leaving Portsmouth for Worcester, Mass. The skies were gray and threatening and we had lots of fog but none of the downpours we had yesterday. We had a group of perhaps 7 or 8 riders that had formed out of the group yesterday. Some are from my cross country in '09, one is a rookie, and a couple from the 10 xc - but all good cyclists and a compatible group. Probably the best part of the ride today was riding in and out of all the pretty little New England towns in both New Hampshire and, later, Massachusets. So many have a real history, e.g. the town hall showing a founding date of 1659 in one town and most have old fashioned town squares and the classic high-steepled old churches. It's also fun just to see people walking the downtown streets - and for some reason a bunch of cyclists riding as a group seems to put a smile on faces. However, at mile 75, in Massachusets the gray skies became a little more threatening and within minutes the skies opened up and we had an even worse downpour than what we had yesterday. The roads were treacherous with running water, we were all drenched, and all we could do was make a run for it. To make it even worse our hotel is right downtown and Worcester has traffic problems that make New York's famous gridlocks look like child's play. To say that the last four or five miles was harrowing is an understatement. Nevertheless all of us made it safely into the barn and as one of my colleagues said at dinner tonight it just made the beer taste that much better. We ended the day with 95 miles (which qualifies as century in some circles but of course I wouldn't think of claiming credit unless I hit a full 100) with 4200 feet of climbing. And on that note I think I'm ready for bed...Tomorrow will be our third state in as many days. More later.

Rain, rain, and more rain.

At about 4 AM this morning I woke up to what I initially thought was my roomie snoring...wrong: it was pouring rain and pelting the windows of our hotel room. This, of course was a precursor of what our day was going to be like. The entire group had been checking the weather channels (one can easily become obsessed with weather underground on one of these tours) so we all knew that rain was in the forecast for this first day of riding. As we made our way down to breakfast and started the process of bringing bikes and luggage down to the lobby our group was a kind of fashion parade of cool rain gear. The emphasis is on bright fluorescent rain jackets, plastic baggies to hold cameras, cellphones, and wallets, and a variety of hats to keep the drops off of the face so that you can see the road. Since it was our first ride day we had to have the obligatory group photo, of course, but this was only a momentary postponement of the inevitable. At about 7:20 we hopped on the bikes and headed out into what was a drenching rain. The only real good news was that a), there was no lightning and, b) it was relatively warm. The big issue really becomes riding safety as we try to avoid the really big puddles (they hide potholes) and somehow keep an eye on the cars, trucks and mobile homes (this is still tourist season). We had a great route, hugging the ocean for probably three quarters of the day winding in and out of the Maine coastal towns going south to New Hampshire. Among other sites of the day we passed through Walkers Point, the summer home of the Bush family. It was the only place we really stopped and the group photo with all the rain jackets is on the beach just to the side of the Bush estate. There were actually photo opportunities at a number of other spots as well but with the driving rain none of were too inclined to stop. So we rode into Portsmouth, found a place for a warm lunch and then headed on toward our hotel. After cleaning the bike, washing the sand out of the shorts and socks a hot shower never felt so good. So for the first day: 70 miles, 4:40 riding time at 14.9 mph avg and 4300 calories - good excuse for a big dinner....Tomorrow we have 93 miles to Worcester Mass - and only a 60% chance of rain. Oh joy....

Ready to ride

The bike has been checked out, the safety flag is in place and I'm ready to go to Florida. Tom and I picked up our rental truck on Monday and drove into New York City. We stayed overnight with Peter, another alumnus from the '09 ride, and Jack (who flew in from Israel), loaded luggage and four bikes and drove to Portland yesterday. Last night we greeted some of the other members of this little adventure and had reunions with a few others from the '09 trip. I have to do a little dance for everyone whose last memory of me is a dazed body lying on the street waiting for the helicopter to take me to the hospital but meeting both old and new riders is the order of business for today. Tonight we will have our orientation meeting and get our route cue sheets and then have a group dinner before getting a last good night's sleep before tomorrow's departure. Today is gorgeous: sun is out, warm weather, perfect for biking. Tomorrow, on the other hand, is predicted to be rainy, gray and overcast most of the day - yuk, what a way to start. Will make sure the chain is oiled, the rain jacket is out and somehow I'm sure we will make it. Our day will be about 70 miles and we are heading to Portsmouth, New Hampshire....more on the the fun tomorrow. And a quick P.S. - we seem to have finally concluded the long process of selling the house. We got word yesterday that the contract has gone through attorney review and we have a firm deal - alleluia!

Almost Maine...

Gorgeous fall day in New Jersey with just enough of a cool bite to the air that I felt a preview of what the mornings in Maine, New Hampshire and upstate New York might be like...Wore a long sleeved jersey and was comfortable but it was 55 and the sun was out - at 40 or 45 it might be just a tad more invigorating. Do you like a bit of irony? Tracy (our tour leader) sent out an email to inform us that there is a Harley Davidson rally scheduled for Daytona Beach the weekend that we arrive. My personal memory bank lights up like 4th of July fireworks at the mere mention of Harleys. I may have to find a back alley entrance or perhaps organize the pelaton as an escort to get into town safely. So, fifty-five miles, almost 3000 feet of climbing and a 15.5 average for today - ready or not, Portland here we come. Am looking forward to the reunion with the XC09 friends and meeting all of the others....I am psyched and excited.

Almost ready...

One of the rules for this trip is the thirty pound weight limit for luggage - did you ever try to pack for a four week trip and limit yourself to thirty pounds? I have been packing and repacking off and on for the last two days. We obviously can't spend all our time in spandex so a minimum supply of "civilian" clothes are required. And one set of biking stuff is hardly enough - we do tend to sweat a bit and after a (short) while that tends to draw frowns and funny looks from people. So I'm happy to say I think I've got the packing done and it came in at exactly 29.1 lbs. Now I can only hope that Tracy's scale is as accurate as I think mine is.

One of the complications of packing for this trip is the expected variables in the weather. The predicted morning temperatures in Portland Maine this time of year are around 40-45 in the morning (we get underway about 7:30 every day) while we should be seeing numbers like 70-80 when we get to South Carolina and south. I went out for one of my last training rides this morning with the temperature at 51 and even with a long sleeved shirt under my cycling jersey I felt the cold for a good five miles until I was warmed up enough to not notice. I promptly came home and added ear covers, warm socks and cold weather, long sleeved bike jersey to my duffel bags. They tell me that it is possible to see temps in the thirties in the mornings in Maine - I think we will all be praying for lots of sunshine.

Rday - 7

Can you believe it? Seven days until we leave Portland Maine and start our trek to Florida. I have stuff all over the place but, honestly, have not even begun to pack. Thirty pound weight limit? Hmmm, maybe I had better start sorting and checking things out. My training has been so discombobulated because of the housing issues that I have been a little concerned that maybe I would be spending the first week trying to ride myself into shape, not really something I wanted to do. I have been out on the bike for the last three days in a row - first time all summer that I have managed three consecutive days. Yesterday Tom Ryan (my roomie) and I did a 50+miler with lots of good hills and some unfamiliar (to me) roads. We had to skip some of our more familiar training routes because of bridges out, roads a bit sketchy, etc. And today all I had time for was a late afternoon 3o miler but I kept it in the big gear and really worked for the couple of hours I had....I think I'm ready but always there is that feeling that I should do a bit more: a few more hills maybe, just one more century. The moment of truth is rapidly approaching. We have 25 riders and the email boxes have been filled with exchanges of introductions and photos this past week or so. The folks from '09 I already know, of course, but based on the emails it looks like a really great group overall. All but one have done a cross-country (or at least part of one) and most have done them with Tracy's Crossroads group. We have people from all over the country: California, Michigan, NC, NY, NJ of course, Illinois, etc, and three from outside the US: an Israeli, an Englishman, and one from Canada (French as his first language). I've no doubt it will be a terrific ride. And finally, the good news of the day: we have sold our house. After almost six months and one aborted sale we signed the contracts today and the deal really looks firm. It came as a bit of surprise but I am so relieved to have it resolved and not have to leave Susan with that mess and worry while I'm gone. We will move probably the middle of November but in the meantime Susan can plan a trip to Florida and I can ride without the constant stress of two houses in the back of my mind....

Getting closer

Wow - less than two weeks to Portland. To be very honest I am equal parts excitement and dread. When this trip first came up I was sure we would be in our new house and that Susan would join me in Portland for a few well earned days of holiday in celebration. As it turned out the sale on our house fell through after we had finalized the deal on the new house - and, of course, the result is we are still trying to sell the old house (in perhaps the worst real estate market of all time) while postponing the actual move until we get that elusive buyer. I have visions of negotiating either the sale or rental while standing on the side of the road in Kitty Hawk NC or some such place....At the same time the emails with introductions and photos of the ride participants has been flowing all week and I cannot help but get excited over the prospect of riding every day with new and old friends. Last week we had rain virtually every day (remnants from the tropical storm that hit the gulf) and it was the perfect week to get my bike into the shop. I got it back Friday and was out yesterday for the test run. Alex, the mechanic, told me the bike would be like new and he did not exaggerate. There is nothing like the first ride after ride after a complete tune-up. Everything is smooth and quiet, nothing but the whir of the wheels and (new) chain and the occasional click-click of the gears. And the first 40 miles or so were truly perfect. I hardly got out of the big gear except for the hills and even they seemed easy. I pulled into one of my favorite country deli's for a quick rest stop and all was well with the world. As I was leaving I immediately noticed that some of the overcast was becoming ominously dark and darker from the only direction I could take to get home....To cut to the chase I had a few sprinkles almost immediately but nothing serious and I kicked it up a notch and figured I would pull into my driveway well before the storm. Wrong! With maybe 12 miles to go the skies literally opened up and the water came down in the traditional buckets. I was on good road but with the ground saturated the roads flood almost immediately and I found myself slowing to a crawl trying to see, trying to avoid passing cars and keeping the bike stable in the heavy water at the side of the road. Finally, with both bike and rider thoroughly soaked, I found a school where I could run up on the porch and wait it out. Needless to say, it did eventually lighten up and I headed home for shelter and a hot shower. The bike has been cleaned, re-oiled, and sits in the garage drying out - tomorrow promised sun and temps back up to 80. I've had my unplanned training in bad weather and for the next few days it will be sunshine or nothing. A final bit of irony: I've always been safety conscious but probably more so since my encounter with the Harley. When I had the bike in the shop I purchased, among other things, a rear flashing light for the bike. I was specifically thinking of early morning departures, dark days, and the possiblity of rain. It is an LED type red steady or flashing light and it is the brightest thing I have ever seen. The store claims it will be seen a mile away and it definitely can be seen through heavy rain and mist - exactly what I wanted. And, you guessed it, it was still in the bag and not on my bike yesterday. That will not happen again, believe me.

Gone but not forgotten

Irene came through a week ago but the effects linger on. Susan and I had a small forest of fallen branches, about four hours without power, and a few anxious moments while the stream at the end of our property rose up and over its banks - but no closer than maybe 30 yards from the house. However, not everyone was so lucky. I was restricted to short 30/35 mile rides for most of the week but today went out for a 75 mile tour. For the most part I had no problems but there was plenty of evidence of Irene's impact. The roads, especially the real country roads, still have lots of loose gravel and dirt where the streams and creeks overflowed. In a couple of cases bridges were out and more than a couple of instances where the asphalt was completely washed away and I was forced to walk the bike around the barriers and over the disabled road. Also still lots of areas without power and more than once I was maneuvering around the big construction vehicles of the power companies who are still removing fallen trees and trying to re-string their electric wires. That being said it was a gorgeous day for riding today and lots of cyclists out in Mercer and Hunterdon counties. For some I'm sure it was an escape from wet basements and and filling out insurance claims forms but we are into September - we won't get too many more of these sunny, warm summer days.

I did remember my camera for a change and so herewith a few photos of some of the hurricanes reminders. The covered bridge is the last one still in use in New Jersey. The water came within a foot of the bridge but no damage was done. The house with the blue tarp was cut almost in half by a falling tree - fortunately the occupents were not at home, there would not have been any survivors....And, final thought: less than three weeks to Portland. Much as I am stressed out over the dual house situation I can hardly wait.